


When the moon hits your eye

by freefall



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Falconer!Kent, Future Fic, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Minor Character Death, Werewolf!Tater, really more fluffy than it sounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 14:54:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8895085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freefall/pseuds/freefall
Summary: When Kent adopts a stray dog the worst thing that he was expecting was fleas or difficulties house-training. He never thought he would have to deal with pack disputes between Russian werewolves.  Kent would like it to be known that he is a cat person and he never signed up for any of this shit.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fanfaire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfaire/gifts).



> This is a 'Swawesome Santa gift for Fanfaire. I hope you like it!
> 
> Shout out to the awesome [ziimbits](http://ziimbits.tumblr.com/) for beta-reading. She made it about a million times better than it could have been, and any mistakes are my own.
> 
> See the end note for TW details for implied/referenced homophobia.

Kent didn't regret signing with the Falconers after his contract was up. It had meant a small salary cut, but it was worth it for the chance to play with Zimms again, even if nothing was ever going to happen between them. It had been a bit of an adjustment at first, but the Falconers were a good team, they were good guys, and playing with Jack was amazing. Things were a little bit awkward off the ice sometimes, but they were getting to be friends again. More importantly, they were absolutely lighting it up on the same line. But one thing Kent did miss about Vegas? Winter. 

Winter in Providence was fucking awful. On this particularly frigid night, Kent wore a scarf up to his eyeballs and enough layers to look like the kid from A Christmas Story just walking from the Chinese restaurant on the corner to his duplex. The bitter cold had him seriously considering driving next time, even though it was less than a block. 

Kent had just passed the sketchy laundromat when he heard a strange whining noise over the gusting wind. He looked around and he was pretty sure it was coming from the tiny alley in between the laundromat and the building next door. His fingers were just about frozen solid and Kent just wanted to get home, but that sound… it sounded like someone was in actual pain. He couldn’t just ignore it. 

He cautiously peered into the dark alley. He didn't see any people, only a hulking green dumpster backlit by the weak, yellow light over the door of the shawarma joint next to the laundromat. Kent was about to turn away when he noticed that there was something there in the dumpster's shadow. Something large and moving and…

Oh crap, that was a dog. 

Look. Kent was a cat person. He would be the first to tell anyone that, if for some reason they weren't already following the best Instagram in the world. By that he meant his cat's Instagram, not his own. That didn't mean he was going to abandon a whining injured dog out in the cold in a dark alleyway, though. He wasn't a total jerk. Even if it was a freaking huge dog. It looked like some kind of husky mix, dark and shaggy, and Kent had the nasty suspicion that when it was standing, it would come up to his waist. He probably should just leave it alone and call animal control or something. Or maybe a shelter? There had to be some kind of organization whose job was to deal with this kind of thing. But even in the low light, Kent could see the animal's leg was bleeding, and it was late, and dark, and he was pretty sure it was starting to snow.

Fuck it. 

"Hey, doggie," he said, cautiously starting down the alleyway. "Good doggie." Kent peeled off his jacket. Maybe he could wrap it around its leg or something, to staunch the bleeding and protect the wound. Kent was now close enough to see the whites of its eyes, rolling frantically in fear. And its teeth. Its very large teeth. 

Kent gulped and bent down. "Good doggie," he said again, trying to keep his voice calm and even. "Come with me, now." He gingerly went to wrap his coat around the dog, and its whining turned into a snarl. It snapped its teeth at Kent's hands, making him leap backwards and land on his ass on the cold ground. "Please don't bite me!" he yelped. "I swear I'm trying to help!" 

As if the dog heard him, it stopped growling and looked at him with wary eyes. Kent stayed frozen, watching the animal warily and hoping desperately not to startle it. In the silence, he could hear a faint whine of pain every time the dog panted a breath. 

"Okay, buddy," he said softly. "I'm just gonna wrap you in my coat, okay? I'll take you somewhere warm and dry and take a look at your leg." No shelter or vet would be open this late. He'd have to take it home and then take it somewhere in the morning. "I'm your friend, okay? Friend. Please don't bite me." 

Kent felt like an idiot talking to a dog, but hey, if it worked, it worked. He kept a slow gentle murmur of nonsense going as he knelt on the ground and carefully wrapped the dog in his coat. Kent laid his hand gently on top of the dog's head and bent to meet its eyes. "Don't worry, you're safe with me," he told it. The dog shivered all over, then laid its giant head on his knee. 

A struggle, Kent picked the dog up, noticing that it was male in the process. He immediately staggered. Jesus, he was heavy. He better not throw his back out doing this, the trainers would kill him. Kent desperately tried not to think about the thing's giant teeth so close to his neck, but the dog seemed to be okay for now. It was settled against his chest, warm and surprisingly soft. Kent could feel his ribs expanding every time it sucked in a pained breath. He smelled awful, like dirt and blood and God knows what. "Okay, your leg and then a bath," he said to the trembling bundle in his arms. "Phew, buddy, you really need one." The dog growled again and Kent shut up. 

He managed to carry the dog down the block and to his house, narrowly avoiding trash cans and almost slipping on black ice twice. There weren’t many people out in this area of town at night, but he did get a few weird looks from passersby. Luckily, he lived on the bottom floor of the duplex. Opening the door was challenging enough without facing a flight of stairs, too. Kent brought the dog straight into the bathroom and set him down on the tile floor, narrowly avoiding Kit, who hissed and ran out between his feet to hide under the couch. "Hold on, bud," he said. "I'll be right back." 

Kent brought in some old towels that he didn't mind being destroyed and his first aid kit. What worked on a human should work on a dog, right? He’d pulled out the supplies he thought he might need and was about to start dabbing the blood off the wound when he had a sudden thought. Kent dashed down the hall and into the kitchen and grabbed the raw steak he’d been planning on grilling up later this week out of the fridge. When he took it back to the bathroom, the dog looked up in interest; it must have smelled the food. As soon as he put the steak down in front of the dog, the animal devoured it, tearing into the bloody hunk of meat like it hadn't eaten in days. 

"You were hungry, huh?" Kent asked, smiling slightly. "Eat that instead of me, okay, buddy?" He slowly bent over the dog’s hindquarters, and the dog growled and tensed as Kent began to gently scrape the fur away from the wound. He didn't bite him, though, so Kent chose to take that as a win. 

As he peeled the blood-matted fur away, Kent could see the wound was a bite mark; nasty looking but not too deep, so Kent thought it’d be safe to wait to go to the vet in the morning. He wet a towel and carefully dabbed it along the cut, trying to wipe away the worst of the dirt. Kent gently spread some Neosporin on the freshly cleaned cut and wrapped it in gauze. He sat back, put his hands on his hips, and considered the bulky white padding around the dog's leg. It didn't look pretty, but it would probably do. 

Kent realized that the dog had finished eating. Instead of fighting Kent, though, he was just lying there and looking up at him. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown. Kent gave the exhausted animal a gentle smile. "You'll be okay, buddy," he said. "Now let's get you clean, huh?" The dog snorted, but didn't snarl or make any sudden or aggressive movements, which Kent took as a good sign. Kent used the rest of the towels to try to hand wash the dog; there was no way he was dealing with giving it a full bath right now. 

As he cleaned, the towels got filthier and darker. A good scrubbing and the dog was looking not only cleaner, but lighter, too, almost the same chocolate brown as his eyes. "There we go, buddy," Kent said when had wiped the last of the grime from the large dog’s toes. "You look and smell a lot better now." He grinned down at the creature, who was looking pretty nice-looking if he did say so himself. The dog huffed and gently pushed its head against Kent's leg, almost toppling him backwards from his crouch. Kent laughed. "Point taken, I'll shut up!" With one last ruffle of the fur between the dog’s ear, Kent went to retrieve some blankets to build the dog a nest in the bath. 

  


\---

  


The next morning, Kent coaxed Kit out from under the couch with her breakfast. She hadn't exactly taken well to the large dog in her space the night before. "Sorry, princess," Kent said to her softly, giving her a cuddle. "I should ask before bringing guests home, huh?" 

It looked like the dog hadn't moved from his bath nest over the night, so Kent fed him a second steak from the fridge before checking his wound. When he unwrapped the bandages, though, the wound was gone. There was dried blood but no bite mark. "What the hell?" Kent muttered to himself. "I’ve heard that dogs healed quicker than humans, but I had no idea they healed this fast." This was good, though, because now Kent could take him straight to the shelter. 

The good news was that the dog could walk on his own now. The bad news was that, despite his early attempts to leash train Kit, he didn’t have a dog leash, so the dog was going to walk wherever he darn well pleased. Kent, through a combination of flapping his arms and pleading, managed to slowly herd the dog out the door and down to the car. The animal sat there patiently while Kent fumbled to unlock the car and get the door open. Maybe it was Kent’s imagination, but it felt like the dog was gently huffing in a way that looked like he was laughing at Kent. When Kent finally opened the door, the dog jumped into the backseat on his own, settling down as if perfectly happy to go wherever Kent decided to go. 

It was about a twenty-five-minute drive to the shelter, and when they got there, the dog very obviously didn't want to get out of the car, growling and planting his four paws in the leather seat. Kent had to bodily push him out from the other side and drag him into the building, which was easier said than done considering that the dog probably weighed more than he did. 

When Kent finally managed to get the dog into the lobby of the shelter, the girl at the front desk's eyes went wide. "Wow. That is one big dog. It looks like a wolf!" 

Kent tried not to roll his eyes. You'd think people who worked at an animal shelter would be used to huskies. "Yeah, he's pretty big," he replied. "I found him last night; I think he's a stray. You guys take in strays, right?" 

The girl frowned. "Ye-es," she said hesitantly. "But we're pretty full right now, and I'll be honest with you: Dogs that big don't have a very good chance of being adopted." 

Kent frowned. "What does that mean? What happens if he's not adopted?" 

She hesitated. "We'll try our best to get him adopted, or at least fostered out, but if we can't find a place for him...well, he'll probably end up euthanized." 

"What." Kent could feel himself turning pale. He knelt down and put his arms around the dog, as if to physically protect him from the idea, feeling its shaggy fur against his face. "Do you really think that would happen? Why wouldn’t he get adopted?” 

The girl looked regretful, but composed. "He’s a big dog, and he’s almost black, and he looks like a wolf. His chances are pretty low. And unfortunately we just don't have the space to keep animals indefinitely," she said. "Do you still want to leave him here? I'll get out the paperwork." 

"Fuck no," Kent said, standing up and herding the dog back toward the door. "Come on, bud, we're leaving." 

In the car, Kent stared at the dog in the rearview mirror. The dog's brown eyes met his calmly, ears perked up. "I guess you're sticking with me," Kent said faintly. His schedule was rough, but he already had a pet sitter for Kit, so he could probably make it work. He had to, what else could he do? 

  


\--- 

  


A few hours later Kent now had a leash, collar, food and bowls, grooming kit, and everything one could conceivably need for the care and keeping of a husky mix the size of a small sofa. Now all he needed was to give him a name. "Blacky?" he tried, disliking it immediately. "Puck? " 

Kent looked down at his two pets cuddling on the couch. Kit had fled to under the couch again when they had come in the door, but the dog had just laid patiently down on the floor and stuck his nose under the couch as if to get acquainted. Finally, Kit had delicately sniffed the dog's muzzle, ventured out, and they now seemed the best of friends, the fluffy white cat curled up in a ball on top of the equally fluffy giant dog. Kent felt his heart swell. It was so fucking cute. He took out his phone and took a picture for Instagram. 

"How about Buddy?" he said. "That's what I've been calling you so far, and it's a pretty good name, right?" The dog slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Kent. His tail wagged once. Kent wedged himself into the corner of the couch. and the dog lifted his head up and laid it on his lap. 

Kent stroked Buddy's soft ears. "This’ll be good, right?" he said softly. "The three of us. You, me, and Kit can be our own little family." 

Buddy gave a soft huff, then licked Kent's wrist. Kent smiled. "I'll take that as a yes." 

  


\--- 

  


In the next few weeks, the three members of the Parson household settled into their routine. Kent would get up early, feed Kit, take Buddy on his normal morning run, and then go to practice. When he got back, he would either take Buddy to the park or cuddle up with him and Kit on the couch, and then go to the rink if there was a game. Road trips were a little more difficult, but he had a pet sitter, a local college student, come in three times a day to feed both his pets and take Buddy for a walk. Kent heard horror stories from his teammates who had dogs that made him worry about Buddy tearing up his condo while he was away, but every time he came home the place was just like he left it. Buddy would usually meet him at the door, tail wagging. He was too dignified to jump on Kent or bark, but he would lick Kent's hands gently and let Kent pet him and bury his face in his fur. It was nice, to have someone happy to see him when he got home. 

Kent liked the days when they went to the park the best. Buddy would run around and fetch the Frisbees Kent threw, and it was always a lot of fun. One day, one where they’d gone to the park despite the fact that it had rained earlier in the day, Buddy jumped on Kent and sent him straight into a mud puddle. Kent swore it seemed like the dog was laughing at him as he hauled his sorry, drenched ass home. 

He liked the days where they stayed in too, though. Kent would chill out on the couch in his sweatpants and an old soft T-shirt, and unapologetically watch whatever terrible reality TV show was on. He had a particular fondness for The Bachelor. The contestants were so messy and dramatic but Kent couldn’t help rooting for them to find happiness anyway. Kit would come and go as she pleased, but often she would end up on Kent's shoulders, digging her feet into his neck when she stretched and resettled, blocking his view with her tail. Kent had never needed any more than that, than her, but it was kind of nice to have Buddy stretched out warm and heavy against his side. Sometimes Buddy would sprawl out on his lap and, despite the fact that Kent couldn't get up to use to the bathroom, it was really great, actually. 

Buddy had his own dog bed that Kent had special ordered online, but inevitably Kent would wake up in the middle of the night to Buddy hopping up on his bed and curling up at Kent's hip. At first, Kent tried to push him off the bed because he was pretty sure you weren't supposed to let your dog get bad habits like that, but Buddy was big enough that he would just– refuse to be moved. Besides, it wasn't so bad sharing a bed with someone, even if he was a dog. Even if Buddy sprawled out enough in his sleep to almost push Kent off the bed, which had happened several times. This week. 

  


\--- 

  


Kent first introduced Buddy to some of the guys on the team inadvertently, when Thirdy and Guy dropped by to drag him out to get burritos. Thirdy was fond of loudly declaring that Kent "needed to get out more," but Kent was pretty sure he was on a mission to get Kent feeling more settled and at home in Providence. Kent privately thought that it was a waste of time, but he appreciated it. As far as he could tell Guy tagged along purely because the opportunity to watch Thirdy chirp Kent for an extended period of time amused him. Kent actually liked that better. He didn’t have any use for his teammates’ pity, but he could appreciate a teammate who was an asshole. 

"Parser, you loser, stop being such a hermit," Thirdy said, barging past Kent into his apartment, Guy following behind with a blank face that Kent was 99% was hiding a smirk. "Grab your– what the fuck is that?" 

Buddy was suddenly there, standing between the guys and Kent with his feet firmly planted and teeth bared. He was growling, a hair-raising thing that was unlike anything Kent had ever heard. It was even different from the only other time Kent had heard him growl, in the alley when Kent first found him. 

"Woah, Buddy, it's okay," Kent said hastily, putting a hand on the dog's back. "They're friends." Buddy's growl dropped to a low rumble, but his teeth stayed bared. 

"Parse," Thirdy said tightly. Guy was standing behind him, braced like he was about to be boarded by an opposing d-man. 

Kent looked at him, eyebrows raised. "He's just a dog, you guys. He won't hurt you, calm down." 

"That's not a dog, that's a fucking wolf. Look at it, are you crazy! What is it doing in your house?!" 

"Seriously?" Kent rolled his eyes. "Why does this keep happening? He's a husky. Why would I have a wolf in my house?" 

"That is not a husky," Guy finally chimed in. "That looks like a wolf." 

"Okay, maybe he's some kind of mix," Kent said. "He was a stray so I'm not sure of his fucking genetics. But come on, would a wolf seriously just live in my house, go for walks and play fetch and stuff and, oh, I don't know, not eat anybody?" 

There was a long pause. "I guess," Thirdy conceded. "Still, man, that's a freaky looking dog. What's his name?" 

"Buddy," Kent said, fondly patting the dog on the head. 

"Your giant, terrifying, wolf-dog's name is Buddy?" Thirdy asked skeptically. 

As if to spite him, Buddy finally stopped growling and sat down, lolling his tongue out in a dog grin. Kent couldn't help snorting a little to himself. "Yep," he said cheerfully. "Now, are we going or not?" 

  


\--- 

  


Buddy was acting weird. 

Normally he was a pretty chill dog. He never barked or tore up the cushions, listened to Kent as if he actually understood what he was saying, and let Kit use him as a furry climbing tree. Tonight, though, Buddy was all over the place. He kept bounding over to the window and then away, back and forth all across the condo. He wouldn't settle, and he bumped into the end table and knocked over the lamp. When Kent tried to pet him he actually snapped at him. 

"You need a walk, Buddy?" Kent asked, grabbing the leash. Maybe he just didn't get a long enough walk in today. The sun had already set, but the moon was high and full and would provide enough light to see by. They would just go for a short one, and then hopefully Buddy would settle in. 

Kent had to chase Buddy down and wrestle the leash on him, but as soon as Kent opened the door Buddy was bounding down the steps, yanking Kent behind him by the leash. 

"Hold on, Buddy!" Kent said, wrestling with his keys. 

Buddy was still tense and wired. One minute he pulled ahead, yanking at the leash, the next he stuck close to Kent's side, fur brushing against his leg. He kept snapping his head around, as if he heard something, or smelled something, that Kent couldn't. It was dark, and this area of Providence was always deserted at night. Despite himself, Kent started to get a little unnerved. 

Then the howls started. 

It sounded like… well, wolves, actually, but it must be dogs… just a few streets over. There were maybe three of them, howls overlapping. Kent felt a shiver roll up his spine and into his scalp. Buddy froze, then took off down the street, slipping his collar like it was nothing. 

"Buddy!" Kent shouted, and tore after him. Breath panting out into clouds in the freezing air, Kent managed to catch up to Buddy a few streets over. Buddy was facing off against three dogs in an alley, hackles raised and teeth bared. The other three were various shades of dirty brown, perhaps colored by actual dirt, and looked mangy and underfed. Still, there were three of them, and they were loping back and forth, getting closer to Buddy with each pass. 

Seeing all four of them together like that, it was clear. Those weren't dogs. 

Kent tried to gasp in air and failed. The rasping noise alerted all four wolves to his presence. Buddy snarled at him as if to get him to go away, and then firmly placed himself between the strange wolves and Kent, growling at them in a low menacing rumble. Buddy was protecting him; it was the other three that were freaking him out. Kent could feel it when they looked at him: intelligent regard. And malice. Kent was really in trouble here. But it wasn’t as though he could just leave Buddy alone. Kent remembered what Buddy had looked like when he had first found him, curled up alone and injured in a cold alleyway. Like hell was he going to leave him and have that happen again. 

There wasn't much he could do to help, though, either. In fact, Kent was probably in more danger than Buddy. 

Like a snapped rubber band, the tension broke as one of the wolves jumped on Buddy with a snarl. Buddy threw them off and then all four of them were rolling around on the ground, jumping and snapping at each other viciously. Buddy was bigger than the other three, both in height and weight, and looked healthier, but there were three of them attacking him all at once. Buddy couldn't keep up and one of them bit into his shoulder deeply with a filthy wet crunch. Buddy howled and twisted to dislodge the other wolf, knocking it into one of the others, then leapt after it. 

Kent wavered at the edge of the fight, unable to think of anything to do to help. He could maybe throw rocks, if he could find them, but what if he hit Buddy by mistake? He could call for help, but who could he call about wolves fighting? His hovering ended abruptly when one of the three strange wolves broke away from the fight and went straight for him. Kent yelped and stumbled backward, eyes widening. Right as the wolf jumped at him, teeth bared, Buddy hit the wolf from the side like a truck. Kent stumbled under the weight of the two wolves and went down, head cracking nastily into the cement sidewalk.

God, I can't have a concussion right now, we have a game tomorrow, Kent thought muzzily as he reached up for his head, vision growing blurry. He wasn't really tracking clearly; he could hear the wolves snarling and snapping, but he couldn't keep track of which was which as they weaved in and out of their scuffle. In fact, it almost looked like one of the wolves was standing up on two feet and getting taller by the second.

Holy shit, there was a man standing there. 

The man was tall and broad-shouldered, muscular skin gleaming pale under the moonlight. And there was a lot of it on display. He was completely naked. Kent swallowed. 

The man said something sharp and guttural to the other wolves in another language. Kent thought it sounded like Russian. Blinking blearily through the haze, Kent now saw that the other wolves looked like they were in pretty bad shape. One was lying on the ground, another was favoring a leg, and all three were bleeding. The one in front snarled, a long and vicious sound of defiance, but all three turned around and loped off into the night. Kent pushed himself up shakily, palms scraping against the ground. 

The man whipped around, eyes searching Kent’s body and settling on his face, which must have given away how much pain Kent was in because the other man rushed to his side. The mountain masquerading as a man folded himself in half and landed with a thud on his knees on the dirty ground next to Kent. His giant hand reached out toward Kent's head, but Kent flinched away. 

"Who… what are you?" he rasped. With a jolt, he realized he didn’t see Buddy anywhere. He looked to the stranger. "Buddy? Where's Buddy? Did you see my dog?" he asked, panic edging into his voice.

The man had dark hair, a prominent nose, and big brown hangdog eyes that were watching Kent sheepishly. "Um. Is me," he said with a thick accent. 

"What?" Kent said blankly. "You're… what?" 

"I'm who you are calling Buddy," the man said. "I'm оборотень." he paused, before muttering something to himself in Russian. "What say in English? Wolf? Wolf person." 

Kent stared at him. "You're Buddy. You're a… werewolf? Buddy's a werewolf?" 

"Yes!" the man said brightly. "Werewolf, yes." 

The world swayed, went gray around the edges, and that's the last thing Kent remembered. 

  


\--- 

  


Kent blinked awake slowly, feeling foggy and sore. His head hurt, and his hands stung where they were resting on the sheets. His sheets. He was at home, in bed. Kent just had a few moments to wonder whether all that was a dream before someone entered the room. 

Kent stared at the man whose face was the last thing he remembered before passing out. He looked comically large in too-small sweatpants and a Falconers t-shirt that were clearly borrowed from Kent's closet. "Not a dream, then," Kent said faintly. 

"No," the man said, looking abashed. "Sorry." He slowly approached Kent's bedside and paused before carefully sitting down on the side of the bed, watching, giving Kent time to protest. "Head okay?" the man said softly. "Need doctor?" 

Kent gingerly touched the back of his head to feel the wound. "Ow!" he said, jerking his hand back and wincing. There was a small bump there and a cut that stung like hell. Kent wasn't feeling dizzy, though, or nauseous, so he would probably be fine to wait until he saw the trainers. "I'm fine," he said, before finally breaking. "Who are you? What the fuck is going on?" 

"My name Alexei Mashkov." The guy paused, clearly not sure what to say, before he offered, "From Russia." 

"Yeah, I got that part," Kent said. "And a werewolf, apparently." 

Mashkov shrugged sheepishly. "Yes. I'm come here to find wolf who escaped from my mama's pack. Pyotr, my cousin." Mashkov looked grim, jaw tight. "He want more power than mama give him, want to be next alpha. Things get...bad." 

Kent frowned. "What kind of bad?" 

"He kill someone,” Mashkov said tightly, brows drawn in a thunderous expression 

Kent sucked in a sharp breath. 

"He kill someone and then run away before we catch him," Mashkov continued. "Mama send me after him. Follow him up coast to Providence, but he found other wolves without pack to help him. They attack me, surprise me. I'm hide in alley by dumpster so they not smell, but hurt. Very lucky you find me." 

"And what, you just came home with me and pretended to be my dog?" Kent asked. 

"I have to stay in Providence until I find him," Alexei answered, not meeting Kent's eyes. 

"Yeah, but you could have stayed somewhere else, right? A hotel or something?" 

"Have motel room, where I left my stuff," Mashkov admitted. 

"So why did you stay with me?" 

Alexei paused, and then said shyly, "Looked lonely." 

Kent flushed bright red then turned white. "I don't need your pity–" he snapped, before Alexei interrupted. 

"No!" Alexei said quickly, putting his big hand on Kent's wrist. "Did not mean in bad way. I'm lonely too," he confessed, in a softer voice.

Kent looked at him doubtfully. "Really? You're..." He gestured to him vaguely. "Tall and you seem nice and you're hot–" Kent flushed and cut himself off. "And besides, what about your pack?" 

"I'm not fit in with my mama's pack." Alexei paused, suddenly not meeting Kent's eyes. "I like men. Is hard thing, in Russia. Mama protect me, but is not easy for me there." His clenched his jaw tightly shut, as if to stop himself from saying something more. 

Kent froze, shocked. "You… really?" he asked. 

Alexei nodded, then asked tentatively, "Okay?" 

"Of course!" Kent said and looked up at him. "Um, me too, actually." 

There was a pause of mutual understanding, the kind of fellowship that two people feel when they both realize that neither of them are straight. For the first time, he stopped looking at Alexei as if he was a stranger, but really looked at him. He saw that Alexei had the same brown eyes that Buddy had, and it finally hit him that this tall Russian dude was his dog that he'd been living with for the past month. 

"Oh my god," he said, bright red. "You slept in my bed! You've seen Kit's collection of tiaras! You've heard me singing Katy Perry!" He pulled his knees up to his chest, buried his face in his hands and hoped that if he curled up in a small enough ball he would disappear completely. 

Alexei gently wrapped his large hand around Kent's wrist and pulled it away from his face. Kent could easily pull away if he wanted to, but for some reason he didn't. "I'm like," Alexei said firmly. "You very good person, Kenny. Take me in when not have to, care for me. Give me home. Sing not so nice, maybe, but--" Kent yelped and punched him on the arm. Alexei laughed, before sobering. 

"Sorry," Alexei said. "You not know I'm not dog, I'm take advantage, maybe." 

Kent was still blushing. "It's okay," he muttered. "It was kinda nice, actually, to, you know. Have someone besides me and Kit there." He looked up at Alexei. "I guess you're gonna leave now, though, huh?" 

Alexei looked grim. "Not yet. Have to find Pyotr first. Otherwise..." He looked at Kent. "They have your scent now. Not safe." 

"What?" Kent said, alarmed. "You mean they could, like, go after me? Why?" 

Alexei shrugged. "To get to me, maybe. Sorry." His eyebrows were drawn tight and a frown twisted his mouth. "You help me and all I'm do is put you in danger." 

Kent was still stuck on the three-werewolves-could-be-after-him part. " How much danger are we talking about here?" He could feel his breathing start to pick up. His fingers twisted in the sheets. 

Alexei laid his hand on Kent’s knee, warm and heavy, holding his gaze fiercely. "I will protect you. Won't let anything bad happen to you." He shifted, shoulders squaring and chin lifting, and for the first time Kent thought that Alexei really looked his size. "They just lone wolves, and I'm best fighter in pack. They can try." 

"Oh," Kent said, breath stuttering. What was he supposed to say to that? Looking at Alexei right then, though, he believed it. 

Then Alexei relaxed and all of a sudden was back to being the slightly goofy shy guy he was before. "Should go to bed. Is late." As he pushed himself off the bed he winced slightly, and Kent remembered the vicious bite that Buddy – well, Alexei – had sustained earlier that night. 

"Are you okay?" he asked, suddenly worried. Maybe Alexei should be in bed and Kent should be the one taking care of him. 

"Okay," Alexei said, smiling down at Kent and patting his head gently. "Wolves heal fast. Will be fine by tomorrow. 

"What, really? That explains so much," Kent muttered to himself. "Where are you going to sleep?" he asked. 

"Couch, if that is all right." 

“Wait, I can put sheets on the guestroom bed.” Kent attempted to struggle out of bed, only to be stopped by Alexei.

“Couch okay for now.” Alexei smiled at him. "Sleep well, see you in the morning." He turned off the lights and shut the door. 

And despite the fact that there was a werewolf in his house, Kent did sleep pretty well, actually. 

  


\--- 

  


The next morning was kind of awkward, if only for how not-awkward it was. Alexei stood in front of the stove, making sausages and eggs in Kent's sunlit kitchen, still in Kent's clothes from the night before. His feet were bare against the tile and Kit was draped across his shoulders like a furry scarf, clearly comfortable in his space. Kent was comfortable in his space, too, surprisingly. Maybe it was because they had both grown accustomed to him as Buddy over the last month. When Alexei sat down on the bar stool next to Kent's and they began eating breakfast, Kent let their arms brush together. The silence wasn't awkward. 

"Need to get my stuff," Alexei said as they were doing the dishes, Alexei washing and Kent drying. If Kent wasn’t already fighting the warm burn in his chest, he’d balk at how easily Alexei fit into his routine as a human. 

"You mean at the motel?" Kent asked. 

"Yes," Alexei answered. 

"Want me to come with?" 

Alexei hesitated with a frown. "Not good neighborhood," he said. "But I not want leave you by self, either." 

Kent rolled his eyes. "Okay, I can see why you think I can't take three werewolves, but I think I can handle a bad neighborhood. Besides, how are you gonna get there? Do you have a car I don't know about?" 

Alexei gave him a look, but acquiesced, letting Kent give him a coat and shoes and steer him toward the car in a way reminiscent of how he used to herd Buddy. Kent took Alexei’s directions and drove them to a shitty motel on the outskirts of Providence, about ten minutes away from the last place Kent would have felt comfortable getting out and changing a flat tire. There were only two floors to the run-down brick building, with the doors of each room facing out to the nearly empty parking lot. Alexei lead Kent to a unit on the end, but rocked back as if he was hit as he approached the door. He threw out his arm to block Kent from getting closer. 

"They were here," he said. 

"What?" Kent asked, tensing up. "The other wolves? How do you know?" 

"Can smell them," Alexei answered. He leaned forward and put his ear against the door, listening hard. "Don't think they here now," he said, before testing the door. It was unlocked. It swung open easily and Alexei stepped straight through, no hesitation. 

"Are you crazy?" Kent hissed, going through the door after him to drag the other man back before freezing. Alexei was standing in the middle of his room, and he was right, there was no one there, but the room was… trashed was the only word Kent could think of. Furniture was broken and shattered, and clothes and linens were strewn all over the room, shredded as if someone had taken a knife to them. Or teeth. 

Alexei was frozen, unmoving, looking at the remains of his possessions. Kent hesitated before slowly coming up to rest a palm on Alexei's shoulder. "You okay?" he asked. 

Alexei shook his head and answered grimly, "Fine." He started sorting through the detritus to see if anything was worth saving. Kent joined him. 

"Why the hell are they even doing this?" Kent asked. "I thought you were the one chasing them down, shouldn't that Pyotr be running?" 

"Tried, didn't work," Alexei answered. "He know I’m come after him, wherever he run. So he know he has to kill me. It's me or him." 

"Jesus," Kent said, clutching what looked like it used to be a t-shirt in white-knuckled fingers. 

"Don't worry," Alexei turned to him with a set jaw and steely eyes. "Not going to be me." 

  


\--- 

  


Over the next few weeks, there were no signs of the other wolves, but Alexei followed Kent around like a giant Russian shadow, riding in the passenger seat and sleeping in his guest bedroom. It was kind of nice having someone to eat dinner with and watch bad TV movies with and agree with him that Kit was the best cat in the entire world. It was nice to have someone to go grocery shopping with, even when they were arguing about which vegetables to get. For some ungodly reason, Alexei was pushing hard for beets, but Kent put his foot down. Having Buddy around had been nice, too, but there was something different about having a companion that talked back. 

Alexei even came to Kent's practices and games. The only exception was away games, because Alexei deemed Kent far enough away to be safe. Sometimes, when the practice was open, he came as Alexei and sat in the back of the stands, watching. When practice wasn’t open, he came as Buddy and let himself be pet by all of Kent's teammates. They were mostly over his size by now but if Kent had to hear another “Little Red Riding Hood” joke again it would be too soon. 

Dogs weren't allowed at games, though, so Alexei came to those as a human, dressed head to toe in Falcs gear that he had somehow acquired. He’d definitely bought some, but Kent suspected that more than a few items had come from his own closet. Kent had no choice but to get him tickets in the family suite, which, well. Led to a few questions. 

"C'mon Parser, when are you going to introduce us to your boyfriend?" Marty asked. "What, is he scared of us?" 

Kent rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you, he's just a friend. And even if he was my boyfriend, I'd be the one scared, that you'd all scare him off. You're all terrible." He tugged on his skate laces. 

Jack sat down next to him and cleared his throat. He had his Captain Face on, which the whole team knew meant that some awkward yet somehow inspiring speech was about to come out of his mouth. "You know it's fine if he is your boyfriend, right, Kenny? Kent. You know we'd all support you.” He looked down and his hand, clasped between his knees. “And if the problem is me--" 

"No. No, no, fuck no," Kent said, trying to cut that off at the pass. "We're cool, Zimms, I swear. We're just not dating, guys, Jesus." He finished up and stomped out to the rink, ears burning. He never wanted to have that awkward exes conversation with Jack if he could help it. 

He should've known that the guys wouldn't just give up, though. After the next home game, a 4-1 rout against the Leafs where Kent got two points, Kent tried to slip out after the game and avoid the rally by the younger guys for the whole team to go out. Alexei was waiting for him in the hallway outside of the locker room. 

"Hey!" Kent grinned, practically bouncing from the leftover adrenaline high. "What'd you think?" 

"You did very good, Kenny." Alexei smiled at him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Very fast, very pretty." 

Kent coughed, turning red. "Um. Pretty?" 

"Your goal," Alexei smirked at him. "Was pretty." 

Kent looked at him with narrowed eyes, not sure if he was actually as oblivious as he seemed. "Thanks," he said. 

Just then the locker room doors slammed open and the rookies Sherry and Poots burst into the hallway. "Hey, Parser!" Sherry shouted. "Your boyfriend's coming out with us? Awesome!" 

Kent snapped around. "For the last time, he's not my--" 

He was completely ignored by the group of hockey players spilling into the hallway. "Sebastien St. Martin," Marty says, offering Alexei his hand. "Nice to finally meet the famous bf." 

Alexei looked taken aback and a little overwhelmed by the sudden influx of hockey players surrounding him, but quickly recovered. "Alexei Mashkov," he said, shaking Marty's hand with a grin. "We go out, yes?" 

Sherry whooped. "All right, Parser, your boyfriend's clearly cooler than you! Let's go, guys!" 

"I'm so sorry" Kent mouthed at Alexei as the group swept them along. Alexei just laughed at him. 

  


\--- 

  


Alexei being out with the guys was surprisingly... not that bad. He was probably having a better time than Kent was, actually. He seemed to get along great with the guys, regularly making them laugh and having an in-depth conversation with Marko in Russian. He periodically dropped a hip to the end of the bar where Kent was sitting to bring him drinks that Kent could definitely more easily afford and to check up on him. Every time he put his large hand on Kent's hip and leaned in to talk in his ear over the loud music, Kent shivered. 

Kent had been sitting by himself, watching Alexei chat animatedly with Thirdy about his daughter when someone spoke behind him. "He seems like a good guy." 

Kent startled and turned to see Jack sliding into the seat next to him, still nursing the single beer he'd had all night. 

"Um, yeah," Kent managed. "He is." 

"This is the first guy you've ever introduced to the team," Jack said carefully, blue eyes kind. "He sticking around?" 

Kent was all set to lie cheerfully, say something like "who wouldn't stick around for this" with a sleazy wink and a bright grin, but his throat closed up and he couldn't. He choked a little, staring down at his drink and blinking rapidly. 

"I-" was all Kent managed before he was interrupted by warm hands on either hip. Alexei leaned into Kent, warm and solid down his back, and head resting on his shoulder. 

"Kenny, you okay?" he rumbled. 

Kent tensed, then relaxed into him without being able to help himself. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said roughly, then cleared his throat. "How about you? Had a little too much to drink, huh?" 

"'m fine," Alexei mumbled, and nuzzled into the side of Kent's neck. "You smell good," he whispered. 

"Okayyyy," Kent laughed, immediately turning bright red. He brought his hand up, buried it in Alexei's soft hair, and gently pulled him away from his neck. "You've definitely had enough to drink. Let's go home, okay?" 

Luckily Alexei was amenable, and still able to stay on his feet. There was no way Kent was going to be able to carry him. Kent handed him his jacket from the back of the bar stool.

"You seem happy," Jack said quietly, warmly, smiling at him as they watched Alexei struggled to pull on his coat. "I'm glad." 

Kent smiled back at Zimms. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me," he said, and it only a little bit felt like a lie. With a last, awkward smile toward Jack, he gently herded Alexei toward the door and the line of waiting taxis. 

When they got home, Alexei was still warm and cuddly and very, very drunk. Kent fed Kit, basically poured a glass of water down Alexei's throat, and then they sat down on the couch because Alexei refused to go to bed yet. He sprawled over Kent's lap like he used to as a dog. Kent was manfully resisting petting his head, but his discipline was only so strong and it was only a matter of time. 

"Kenny?" Alexei mumbled. 

"Yeah?" Kent answered softly. 

"Glad I'm meet you," Alexei sad, eyes closed. 

Kent inhaled shakily. "I'm glad I met you, too," he said. He finally gave in to the urge to stroke Alexei’s hair. “Are you going home to Russia after this?”

Alexei paused. “Maybe. Maybe will travel instead, find other wolves. Heard there are some like me out west.” There was a long silence and Kent almost thought Alexei had fallen asleep, before Alexei said so softly that Kent almost didn't hear him. "Will miss you." 

Kent swallowed painfully. He blinked rapidly. "I'm gonna miss you too." 

Alexei didn't answer, and Kent realized that he was already asleep. 

  


\--- 

  
 

Kent was trying to make dinner. Alexei was amusing himself by getting in the way as much as he possibly could. Every time Kent turned to get a pan out or to get something out of the fridge Alexei would be right there, and Kent would either have to bump into him or stop so abruptly that he may as well have bumped into him because they were basically touching. "Alexei, seriously?" Kent said after the fifth time it happened, face flushing. 

Alexei didn't move. "What? You in my way," he said stubbornly with a hint of a smirk. 

"Oh yeah?" Kent said, trying to fight down the smile quirking at his mouth. "Real sorry about that," he said sarcastically. 

"Is okay," Alexei said smugly, and then Kent yelped as Alexei actually picked him up and moved him to his other side, using just two hands on Kent's hips. "See?" Alexei said. "Is no problem. Can just put you wherever." 

Kent couldn't help laughing despite himself. "Okay, way to show off. Not all of us have super strength." 

Alexei laughed. "You watch too many movies. You think werewolves have super strength? No. All natural." He flexed his biceps, smirking at Kent. 

"You look like a douchebag," Kent said flatly. 

"You like," Alexei said, teasingly poking his tongue in the corner of his mouth. Kent flushed and looked away. 

There was a beat of awkward silence, before Kent forged on. "What is with you today?" he asked. "You're super hyper." 

Alexei frowned. "Hyper...?" he asked. 

"You know, excited, keyed up." Kent waved a hand vaguely. 

"Oh," Alexei said, face clearing with understanding. "Full moon tonight," he said. He looked toward the window as if he could see the moon, even though it was behind clouds. His face was suddenly solemn. 

Kent felt a chill shiver down his spine. "Is that...okay? What does that mean? Do you have to shift or something?" 

"Don't have to," Alexei said, "but wolves usually do. Lots of energy, you know." He still looked solemn. "I find Pyotr tonight. Full moons good time for change. Fights, birth, death. Is time to end it." 

Kent sucked in a breath. He wasn't sure what his face was doing but he knew it wasn't great. "Alexei," he said. "Do you have to?" He knew the answer but he couldn't help asking anyway. 

"Mama sent me to do job, need to do." Alexei reached up and touched the side of Kent's face. "Will be fine," he said, so gently that Kent couldn't breathe. "I'm best fighter in pack, remember? Pyotr could never beat me. Stay inside, lock doors and windows. I will end this and then come back before you miss me." 

Kent wanted to say that just because Alexei could beat Pyotr in a fair, one-on-one fight didn't mean that he could take all three of the strange wolves, but he knew that Alexei was well aware of that. He just reached up and clenched his hand around Alexei's, tightly. "Be careful," he said, wishing that he had the courage to say something more. 

"I promise," Alexei said. 

Dinner was quiet and strained, despite their best efforts to keep conversation light and off the night's future events. After dinner, Alexei stood. "Lock the doors after me," he said. Kent just nodded tightly. He was afraid that if he tried to talk he would start crying or something equally embarrassing. Alexei stripped, then stood for a long moment, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. "Be home soon," he finally said, then shifted. Kent had no idea how he ever thought Buddy looked like a dog; there was nothing dog-like about Alexei's size or fierce features. Kent opened the door and then Alexei darted out into the night. 

The next few hours were unbearable. Kent paced back and forth from the couch to the kitchen to the front door to the window, as if he would hear something or see them outside. The not knowing was the worst part. For all he knew, Alexei was fighting right now, and losing, and Kent wouldn't even find out until Alexei just… didn’t come back. 

Kent settled gingerly on the couch and pulled Kit onto his lap. She only protested a little bit. Kent pet Kit with shaking hands and tried to force himself to watch what was playing on TV, some talk show with a host he didn't even recognize. The banal conversation was suddenly drowned out by a loud crashing sound outside, followed by a howl. Kent rushed to the window. 

Down the street a little ways, almost swallowed up by the darkness, lay a large furry shape just at the edge of a streetlight. It wasn't moving. 

Kent couldn't tell if it was Alexei or not; it was too far away. "Shit," Kent whispered to himself. 

He knew he shouldn't just run out there, he wasn't an idiot and he had in fact watched a horror movie before in his life, thank you very much. But what else was he supposed to do? It wasn’t like he could call the police, they weren't exactly equipped to deal with werewolves. Calling anybody else would be equally useless. And what if that was Alexei out there, and he was hurt? 

Shit, shit, fucking shit. Kent dashed to the closet, pulled out one of his old hockey sticks, and threw open the door. 

Kent slowly approached the unmoving figure, breath fogging the air. He could feel the chill in his bones but he wasn't thinking about that now. His stiff fingers clenched around his stick. "’Lexei?" he whispered. As he approached the mountain of fur, he realized that it definitely was Alexei, collapsed, fur matted with blood. Kent inhaled sharply when he saw a particularly nasty cut across the werewolf’s front leg, and before he even realized he’d moved, he was on his knees next to Alexei. 

"Alexei!" he said, panic rising His mind was a blur as he tried to figure out a place he could touch him without hurting him. "Are you okay? Get up, we have to get inside!" 

Just then a figure came sauntering out of the darkness. He was lean, rangy, brown-haired and would almost be ordinary-looking if it weren’t for the long scars that looked like claw marks on his torso and the fact that he was stark naked. The man didn't even look at Kent and said something to Alexei in Russian with a sneer. 

One second Alexei was a black wolf and the next he was in human shape, still bloody and on all fours. He said something sharp and biting in Russian back, before trying to push Kent behind him. 

"Go inside," he whispered harshly to Kent. "Should not be out here." 

Kent tightened his grip on his stick. "No." He hoped he sounded cooler than the sheer unadulterated terror that he was actually feeling. 

Alexei opened his mouth to say something back but was interrupted by the man laughing nastily. "How sweet," he said in roughly-accented, but understandable, English. "True love, yes? So the rumors were true and you really are just a--" 

Alexei cut him off in with a biting string of Russian. Pyotr just laughed again. "You know why your mama sent you after me, yes?" he asked. A vein in Alexei's jaw jumped but he kept his mouth firmly clenched shut. "Because if you die," Pyotr continued mockingly, "oh well." He waved his hand fleetingly. "Better for pack in the end, yes? Much easier." 

"Shut up!" someone burst out and it took Kent a second to realize that it wasn't Alexei who had said that, but him. He was breathing heavily, chest heaving up and down. "Don't talk to him like that," Kent bit out. 

Both men looked at him for a second as if startled, then Pyotr shrugged. "I'm not really care, you know?" he said. "Just think it's sad Alyosha will die far from home for a pack that does not care." He paused, as if thoughtful. "And little bit funny." His face twisted and teeth lengthened and then his whole body shivered and a rangy brown wolf was in his place. 

Alexei sucked in a pained gasp and started shifting desperately next to Kent, but was slower, probably because of the injuries. He was still only partially shifted when the other wolf bounded forward and leapt. 

Kent knocked him to the side with his hockey stick mid-air. 

Pyotr yelped in surprise as he flew to the side, then scrambled to get back onto his four feet. Kent hit him again, as hard as he could. Kent wasn't a violent player by the standards of the league, but hockey was a violent sport. Kent mostly avoided fights because the team was better served by him out scoring goals than in the penalty box, not because he was afraid of a little blood. 

Of course, a hockey stick could only do so much against a wolf, especially one with human intelligence. Pyotr snarled and turned on Kent, ignoring his original target, Alexei. By this point, however, Alexei had had time to shift. Pyotr leapt for Kent and Alexei broadsided him midair. They both went rolling end over end into the empty street. Kent stood watching, still clutching his stick in both white-knuckled hands. 

Alexei was injured, but he was still bigger and stronger, and he managed to pin Pyotr under him. Pyotr snarled and twisted, snapping his teeth at Alexei's face and neck, but Alexei didn't hesitate. He lunged, biting into the other wolf's throat deeply and snapping his head to the side. There was a sickening spray of blood, and then the other wolf stilled. Kent's stomach rebelled for a second but he squeezed his eyes tightly shut and managed to keep everything down. 

He opened his eyes again to see Alexei slowly standing and then rising further to stand in his human shape. He stood still for a long second looking down at the motionless body, and Kent suddenly remembered with a sick feeling that this was Alexei’s cousin, not just a former packmate. 

"What about the other two wolves?" Kent asked, because apparently he couldn't think of anything empathetic to say like a normal person. Alexei looked up as if suddenly remembering he was there. "Dead," he said shortly. Kent didn't ask anything else. 

"Let's go inside," Alexei said. "Call animal patrol later maybe. Just animal killed in animal attack." He looked old and tired. 

"Okay," Kent said softly. 

Kent led him inside and then gently ushered him to the shower. He set a pair of Alexei's clean sweats and one of his own Falconers T-shirts out for him to use when he was finished and he started making tea the way Alexei liked it. His hands were shaking, but he knew Alexei was probably feeling much worse. 

  


\---

  


When Alexei got out of the shower Kent settled him on the couch, wrapped him in a blanket, and cupped his hands around a hot cup of tea. He pulled up a chair so he was close at hand, but not intruding on his space. 

There was a long silence until Alexei spoke up softly. 

"You think what Pyotr said was true? About mama?" Alexei asked, shoulders hunched and staring down into his mug. With a flash, Kent remembered what he was talking about. 

"No!" Kent said, horrified. "Your mom loves you. That guy was just fucking with you and doesn't know shit. She sent you because you're the best fighter in your pack, remember?" 

"Yes," Alexei said, without looking up. He looked small. 

"I mean it," Kent said fiercely, leaning forward and gripping Alexei's knees with both hands. "And if your pack doesn't appreciate you, then they don't fucking deserve you. You're smart, and kind, and brave, and an awesome cook, and you put your life on the line for me even though I'm a total stranger and– you're amazing, okay?" Kent swallows hard, then goes for it. "I really like you, and I'd be fucking honored to have you in my pack, okay?" 

Kent realized through a haze of embarrassment that he was still clutching Alexei's knees and let go as if he was burned. Alexei didn't seem to notice, and was looking up from his tea and straight at him with his giant brown eyes. 

"Can I tell you secret, Kenny?" Alexei asked, smile small and tentative. 

"…Sure," Kent said, breathless and he didn’t know why.

"Did not stay just to protect you," Alexei said. "Stayed because you are sweet and kind and I'm want to. I really like you too." 

They were both blushing. Kent felt like a kid in high school again. "Um, thanks–" he managed before Alexei set his tea down, leaned forward and kissed him. 

Alexei kissed a little sloppy, unpracticed, but like he was dying for it. Kent knew the feeling. After a brief pause of surprise he brought both hands up to Alexei's face and kissed him back, open and wet. Kent had kissed people before, a lot of them, but this was so much better. He licked into Alexei's mouth, and then Alexei moaned a little when Kent sucked on his bottom lip. 

"You want this?" Kent pulled back a little to ask, breathless. 

Alexei gave him a look. "Yes," he said firmly, before leaning forward to suck biting kisses on Kent's jaw and neck. Kent gasped and shivered and lost his train of thought for a second. "Bed," he managed, pulling Alexei up off the couch. Alexei didn't stop sucking marks onto Kent's neck, and Kent almost tripped twice trying to guide them both backward toward his bedroom. 

He turned them around and pushed Alexei to sit on the bed, leaning in to kiss him again. Alexei surged forward, almost falling off the bed in his haste to get to Kent. Kent couldn't help breaking the kiss to laugh a little, steadying him. "Careful!" he said. 

"Then get on bed," Alexei retorted, pouting. "Why you all the way over there." Kent laughed and straddled him, helped by Alexei's giant hands on his hips. They kissed again, deep and heavy. Kent snuck his hands up Alexei's shirt to feel the muscles in his back and Alexei shivered against him. 

"Wait," Kent said, struck by a thought. He pulled back. "Are you still injured?" 

"No, fine, already heal," Alexei said impatiently, yanking his shirt over his head as if to prove it. Kent goggled at the expanse of smooth muscle open to him. Alexei was right, his wounds had healed to pale lines that would look like scars if Kent didn't know they would heal even more to nothing before the night was up. He was also very muscular. Kent had seen him naked before, but only in times of high stress and fear, and he had never gotten to just look. 

"God, ‘Lexei, you're gorgeous," Kent said in awe, tracing a hand from his collarbone to his abs. Alexei shivered, heavy-lidded. 

"Your turn," he rasped, tugging at the bottom of Kent's shirt, and Kent wrestled it off. Alexei's mouth dropped open as he ran both hands up Kent's sides and over his chest. Kent couldn't help but smirk. He leaned in close to Alexei, wrapped his arms around the back of his neck, and ground down. Alexei's mouth fell open even farther and he let out a gasp. "K-Kent," he choked out, hands clutching Kent's sides tightly. Kent might have bruises tomorrow. He hoped he did. 

"Does that feel good?" he asked sweetly, rolling his hips again. He could feel Alexei's cock through his pants, hot and hard. Alexei whimpered, and brought his hands up to Kent's face and kissed him fierce and messily. He bit down on Kent's bottom lip, just a little, and it was Kent's turn to whimper. 

"Pants off," Kent ground out, wrestling with his zipper. Now he was the frantic one. 

"Have to get off me first" Alexei smiled at him. Kent pouted, but got off of Alexei and the bed to pull his pants and boxers down and off. He looked back in time to see Alexei drop his pants over the edge of the bed. He wasn't wearing underwear. Kent's mouth watered at the sight of Alexei's cock, long and thick. He knew he was a big guy, but jeez. 

Kent crawled onto the bed but before he could touch him Alexei rolled him over, covering him with his body from head to toe. Alexei braced himself on one elbow above Kent's face, the other hand burying itself in Kent's hair. "Hi," Alexei whispered, smiling down at him. Kent couldn't stop himself from grinning back. "Hi," he said breathlessly. 

Alexei kissed him again. This time it wasn't fervent or desperate, but almost sweet. Kent felt like he would be swallowed up. Kent felt himself shiver all the way down to his toes. He couldn't stop himself from bucking up into Alexei's weight, and when he brushed against Alexei's cock Alexei moaned. They fell into a rhythm, Kent pushing up into Alexei's weight and Alexei grinding down. They were panting too hard to kiss properly, but Alexei pressed wet open-mouthed kisses all over Kent's face and jaw. "So good, Kenny," Alexei breathed into his neck. "Perfect." Kent couldn't believe it, but the way Alexei was looking at him, like he had never seen anything more beautiful, made it clear that he meant every word. 

"’Lexei," Kent choked out, shaking. "I'm– touch me, please–" 

Alexei brought a hand between them to wrap around both of their cocks. The firm pressure and the smooth glide against Alexei's cock against his made Kent's back arch and his mouth drop open. He barely lasted a few thrusts before he came apart with a strangled shout. Alexei followed him over, muffling his own cry by biting into Kent's neck. Kent knew he would have a mark later, that anyone who knew would know it meant "Alexei Mashkov was here" and the warm feeling that it left in the pit of his stomach was almost better than the orgasm. They relaxed into each other, Alexei dropping his weight onto Kent fully with a sigh. 

"We should clean up," Kent mumbled, with no intention of moving. Alexei made a grumbling noise into his neck, then said, "No. Like the way you smell." 

Kent scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I smell disgusting." 

Alexei gently set his teeth in the mark he made earlier and tugged, just a little. Kent gasped as sparks ran up his spine and his cock twitched. "Smell good. Like me," Alexei said. 

"Okay, okay, you win," Kent replied. It's not like he was going to argue with that. 

Alexei rolled to the side just enough so that he wasn't completely crushing Kent, just mostly on top of him, and, judging from the soft snoring coming from his side, immediately passed out. Kent brought one hand up around Alexei's back and stroked his hair softly. 

Kent knew that this was just another one of his terrible decisions, and it would hurt even more now when Alexei left, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. He let himself follow Alexei into sleep. 

  


\--- 

  


Kent gently traced the muscles of Alexei's back, apparent through his pale skin in the soft morning light. Alexei was still passed out face down in his bed, breathing softly. Kent lay on his side next to him, head cradled in one hand and the other idly running over Alexei’s back. He sighed; he needed to get up, feed Kit, and get ready for morning skate, but he wasn't ready to leave this bed yet. He was going to miss this, so much. 

With a low rumble like a bear, Alexei stirred and rolled over. He caught Kent's hand in one of his and smiled up at him. "Good morning, солнышко," he said, stroking his thumb along the side of Kent's hand. 

"Morning." Kent tried to smile back, but couldn’t quite manage it. 

"What's wrong?" Alexei asked, smile dropping. 

"Nothing, I just…" Kent bit his lip. "You probably have to go back to Russia soon, huh? Go back to your pack?" He tried on his best media smile. "I bet you're tired of my cooking, right? I'm sure you miss Russian food and stuff and it'll be good--" 

"You want me leave?" Alexei asked, eyes large. 

"No!" Kent said. "No. It's just, you took care of Pyotr so you probably have to go back to your pack now, right? Or move on to out west or wherever?" 

Alexei sat up but didn't say anything at first, before looking at Kent with shoulders squared and chin lifted. "You want me leave, I leave, but I want to stay." 

Kent gasped. "What, Alexei… are you sure?" 

Alexei nodded. "Nothing for me in Russia. But here, I can love who I want, marry, start a family. Maybe I'm already start one." He shyly took both of Kent's hands in his own and kissed the back of them. 

Kent didn't know when he had started tearing up but he could barely see through the haze of unshed moisture in his eyes. He blinked frantically to clear his vision. "Do you mean it?" he asked. 

"Yes," Alexei said firmly, now kissing his cheeks and his nose and the corners of his eyes where tears were forming. "You said before, yes? You, me, Kit… we're a family. If you want?" 

Kent threw himself forward and into Alexei's lap, wrapping both arms around his neck. "Yes!" he said. "Yes, stay." He buried his face in the crook of Alexei's neck, and Alexei brought his arms up to wrap around his waist tightly. 

  


\---

  


Later, when they were both calmer and had eaten breakfast, Kent asked some questions that he hadn't thought of earlier. "What about your mom, will she be okay with you leaving and living in America?" 

Alexei shrugged. "Probably. She want me to be happy. And Pyotr had a point… if I'm not there maybe little bit easier. Will call her later." 

Kent scowled at the idea that anybody would be better off without Alexei, but he let it go. "But will you be okay without other wolves around?" he asked. "Don't you need a pack?" 

"Wolves not need be in pack, wolves stay in pack so have people who know what they are, and so not lonely," Alexei said. "Have you and Kit for that." He smiled at Kent. "Maybe I find more wolves later, must be some in northeast. But I'm not rush." He wrapped his arm around Kent's shoulders and Kent snuggled in. Kit hopped onto the back of the couch and whapped Kent in the head with her tail as she walked by. 

When he was nineteen, Kent never could have imagined this: playing on a team with Jack but no longer in love with him, happily snuggling on the couch with his boyfriend and cat, and, y'know. Werewolves. 

"Yeah," he told Alexei. "You, me and Kit will be just fine." 

  


EPILOGUE 

  


"How are you doing, sweetheart?" 

Kent looked up from his seat at the lounge chair at the edge of the pool to see Jack’s boyfriend Bitty holding a couple plates of pie and smiling down at him. Jack was standing next to him with beers. 

"Good, thanks, Bits." Kent smiled up at him and waved them to the lounge chair next to him. Jack handed him a beer and they both sat down sideways on the chair facing him. "Just thinking about joining them." He nodded to the pool, where his boyfriend was delightedly swinging around about six of Kent's teammates' kids, all shrieking in delight. 

It was the Falconers' annual summer barbecue for any of the team in town and their families. This was the first year he had ever had anyone to bring to a team event. It was pretty great. It worked out pretty well for Alexei too; he loved having the chance to play with the kids, as Alexei or sometimes, when he felt like it, as Buddy the dog. 

"They're having fun, eh?" Jack asked, smiling. 

"That's so sweet," Bitty added, snuggling into him. "Are y'all thinking about kids of your own?" 

Kent choked on nothing. "Um, it's a little early for that. Maybe a dog, though?" 

"A dog?" Bitty asked. "Don't you guys have one already, that giant husky?" 

Kent smiled secretively. "Yeah, he's still around, don't worry." 

Bitty smiled at him, but was up in a flash to show Thirdy's wife and daughter where the extra pie was, leaving Jack and Kent by themselves. There was a bit of an awkward silence, as there always was when Kent and Jack were left alone together, before Jack said, "So he did stick around, eh?" 

Kent shot a glance at him, surprised. He remembered that night in the bar months ago, and how sure he was that it would never happen. "Yeah," he said, pleased. "Yeah, I guess he did." 

"And you're happy?" Jack asked, smiling, in an echo of that night. 

Kent grinned at him. "Yeah, I really am." This time it wasn't a lie at all. 

They shared a moment of reflection before Kent swung his legs to the side, peeling off his shirt in the process. “I’m going to go see a man and some children about a pool.” Jack chuckled, and Kent set down his sunglasses, before running to the water and cannonballing into the pool. He resurfaced to the kids yelling about getting splashed, and Alexei grinning at him. 

"Good, Kenny, you on my team!" Alexei said. 

Kent smirked. "Who says?" To the sound of the kids' delighted laughter he tackled Alexei under the water.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. The title comes from the Dean Martin song "That's Amore."  
> 2\. I certainly do not mean to imply that all Russians are homophobic, or that it is impossible to live in Russia if you're gay, or that America is automatically a better place than Russia. This is just one individual's specific circumstance, and, for the record, Alexei's mom is totally okay with it and loves him a lot. There are also several members of the rest of the pack who sincerely don't care at all because it's none of their business. Pyotr was just being an asshole.  
> 3\. Implied/referenced homophobia TW: It's implied that some people who aren't even in the story are homophobic and there was one instance where someone was about to say a slur before he got cut off.


End file.
